Wednesday brief: Again, Emefiele shuns Reps ~ still out of the country
+ Masobe acquires Emmanuel Iduma's new project
Good morning.
Today we are following up on Doyin Okupe’s resignation, the Lagos mass rail project and Emefiele’s continued Maradona moves. Meanwhile, there’s a cholera outbreak in Cross River and the Islamic police are arresting people in Kano for attending a gay marriage. On a bright note, the incredibly gifted Emmanuel Iduma has a new project in the works.
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Okupe resigns
Former presidential spokesperson Doyin Okupe has resigned as the director-general of the Peter Obi campaign.
Okupe’s resignation comes barely a day after he was convicted of money laundering by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
“Dear Peter, you will recall that I briefed you yesterday about my travails in seeking justice and clearing my name using the Nigerian Legal System to pursue same,” Okupe said in a letter to Mr Obi,
“I have invested too much in your campaign to allow my personal travails to become a source of distraction.
“In the circumstances, I have opted to step aside and plead that you appoint a new Campaign DG who can continue the assignment with zero distractions. God bless you and family.”
My opinion: Some have praised Okupe for resigning but he probably didn’t have many options after being convicted of a criminal charge. The campaign had to respond somehow or further lose credibility with its base, which is made up of young Nigerians fed up with public corruption and incompetence. Okupe will most likely still have some influence in the Labour party despite his ouster as campaign DG and will definitely be involved in an Obi government. I’d be surprised if he disappears completely, a fate which, frankly, should befall any politician convicted of a crime as publicly destabilising as money laundering.
Counterpoint: Television analyst, Sam Amadi, argued that Okupe’s crime “doesn’t necessarily import corruption or immorality.”
Tanko Yunusa: The Labour party spokesperson described Okupe’s conviction as “another judgemental pick-and-choose one because those who are supposed to have been convicted are not convicted.”
Cash withdrawals: Okupe was largely convicted for receiving excess cash from the office of the National Security Adviser. Now the Federal Government says it plans to stop cash withdrawals from all federal, state, and local government accounts.
Lagos says blue rail line ready for operation
The transport authority in Lagos, LAMATA, said the infrastructure for the first phase of a section of the state’s rail mass transit, the blue line, is ready for operations.
The blue line is designed to run between Mile 2 and Marina.
In a statement, LAMATA said the line is expected to move more than 500,000 passengers when it is completed.
“The first phase is a 13-kilometer stretch from Marina to Mile 2 and has five stations at Mile 2, Suru-Alaba, Orile Iganmu, National Theatre and Marina. It is expected to move about 200,000 passengers daily,” the statement said,
The rail system is expected to be powered by electricity from an independent power plant to be purposely built for its operation.
My opinion: The LAMATA statement from which this story is sourced is quite vague. First question, how much has this project gulped so far and how much more will it take to complete? Second question, when exactly can people begin to board the trains? When will the independent power plant be built?
Sanwo-Olu: The Lagos state Governor said President Buhari will officially commission the opening of the Imota rice mill in Ikorodu and the Lekki deep seaport in January.
Again, Emefiele shuns Reps ~ still out of the country
The central bank Governor, who has been accused of terrorism financing and economic crimes by Nigeria’s secret police, failed to show up on Tuesday at a House of Representatives session.
The lawmakers had summoned Godwin Emefiele over the central bank’s policy to limit cash withdrawals.
He had been initially scheduled to appear in the blue chamber on December 15, but the meeting was rescheduled after he informed the lawmakers that he was out of the country.
On Tuesday, Emefiele, again through a letter signed by a central bank deputy governor, Edward Adamu, said he was not yet back in the country.
Quote: “At this point, we will be requesting to find out what that official assignment is that keeps the CBN governor away for almost two weeks,” Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila said.
What next: The lawmakers rescheduled the meeting for Thursday. Gbajabiamila requested that Emefiele be represented by a high-ranking deputy if he was still not available at the time.
The lawmakers had earlier asked the central bank to suspend the cash withdrawal limit policy. “The house in the interim had taken a position. The issue of him coming was just to fulfill all righteousness,” minority leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, said.
What else is happening?
INEC: The electoral commission has signed a memorandum of understanding with road and maritime transport unions for effective logistics deployment ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Looted treasures: Germany has handed over 21 Benin bronzes to the Federal Government. The repatriated objects include a brass head of an oba (king), a ceremonial ada and a throne depicting a coiled-up python.
Hisbah: The Islamic police force arrested 19 people for attending the wedding of a same-sex couple in Kano. The couple reportedly managed to flee and are still on the run.
JAMB: The tertiary institution admissions board said registration for its entrance examinations, the UTME, will begin on January 14.
Constitutional amendment: Local government workers shut down the Ondo State House of Assembly over an alleged plan by lawmakers to vote against local government autonomy.
Public health: Up to 51 persons have died after a cholera outbreak was diagnosed last week Thursday in Ekureku community in Abi local government area of Cross River State.
Literature: Masobe Books announced the acquisition of an Emmanuel Iduma project, ‘I am still with you’, “a deeply moving, lyrical journey through the author’s homeland of Nigeria, in search of the truth about his disappeared uncle and the history of a war that shaped him, his family, and a nation.”
And that’s it for today. Let’s do this again tomorrow.
P.S. If you want to have a good laugh, check out this thread on what happens if Nigeria hosts the World Cup. The quote tweets will have you reeling.